


Shaving

by Hel be praised (Silvertounge)



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-23 04:33:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12498852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvertounge/pseuds/Hel%20be%20praised
Summary: The quiet moments are the one's Q misses the most when James is gone.





	Shaving

Watching James shave in the faint light of the ever encroaching morning was something Q didn't often witness.

Of course, that was because Q preferred to roll out of bed long after the sun had already stained the dreary little island he called home in its radiant evil.

Q couldn't recall a time, even when they had just been friends, that he had woken up after James. Through missions, and colds, and long nights talking he somehow always managed to wake up before Q. 

Q decided, with a bit of amusement, that it was one of the habits of being a super secret spy; or the habit of a half-way functioning adult but he really didn't want to give James that much credit. 

Today had been oddly different from most of their other mornings, it wasn't that he'd woken up before James, more that his movement from the bed had pulled Q firmly out of his own sleep. 

Which was weird. He was used to ignoring the change of weight and the sudden cold in the bed when James left. Q never got up with James for missions. Maybe it was the stress of watching James walk off for another mission so soon after a disastrous one, maybe his insomnia was rearing its head again, or maybe he was reading too much into the situation and he just wasn't tired anymore. 

Either way he was up, clothed only in one of James’ button ups; leaning against the door frame and staring into their bathroom as James woke himself up and readied himself to leave. 

Piercing blue eyes watched him steadily through the mirror, meeting Q’s by reflection as he moved along with his morning routine. 

Q watched, mildly confused, as James pulled down a small bowl and poured different things into it. To Q it was some sort of delightfully old-world witchcraft. He'd never seen someone outside of movies put shaving cream on with a brush. 

There were vague memories, from when he was a child, of watching his father shave before going off to work. Q’s father had used a can, and a normal razor nothing fancy nothing out of the norm.

The setup James had was honestly decadent, his blue eyes caught Q’s the entire time; he moved through the motions of slathering the thick foam on his face, before pulling a straight razor out from a small pouch.

"I thought those went out of style years ago old man," Q moved forward hip resting against the hard corner of the counter gently, "not that it's surprising you brought one with you out of the Victorian era."

James said nothing, lips twitching upward the only sign he heard, as he dragged the blade across his face, foam and stubble scrapped off with a quiet sound. James continued in silence for a while, stopping short of his neck and turning to Q.

"Hand."

Q’s shirt rustled as he moved back shaking his head frantically, "James no, I don--"

Calloused fingers wrapped around his wrist, gently pulling Q against his side, "You think I'd let you do this without help?" 

He placed the razor in Q’s hand, then closed his fingers around Q’s guiding their hands, and the razor, over to his neck before pulling it down across his skin. 

"Just like that darling," his voice had tumbled down to something gravely and low, but the hand over his was steady as James’ heartbeat always was.

They stayed close like that, hands dragging a blade over his neck in the dim light. Q knew, without any doubt, that James would never even entertain the idea of letting anyone else this close to him in any way. With or without a knife. 

James hardly ever gave anything away but Q knew he enjoyed having him shave him, and he found himself missing the weight of James hand over his when James pulled away.

"There now," a light kiss was pressed to Q’s temple, calloused fingers moving his wild hair out of the way gently, "that wasn't hard was it?"

He chose not to grace him with an answer, instead, Q took the towel from the counter and wiped away the last of the foam from James’ face. 

The silence in their apartment was comfortable, he found himself pressing his face to James’ collar letting James hold him tightly. Maybe he was tired, James normally hated being touched so much right before a mission, and Q knew that.

But a month was a long goddamn time. By the time James would be back the neighborhood school would already be on break, Q would be done coding new programs. Small moments like these often made Q realize that James missed so much of their small life together when he was gone. 

Small moments that couldn't be made or gotten back. 

Q ran his lips over James pulse softly clinging to his sleeve before slipping away, "Come back in one piece old man." His words were light in the air, floating around their heads lazily.

Be safe.

"It would be horribly tedious to find a new bed partner."

I don't want to live without you.

James’ words were equally light thrown about playfully as he pulled Q back against his body, "I'm sure I'll manage somehow."

I'll always come back.

Playfully sloppy kisses peppered up Q’s face, hands growing tighter on his wrists as he laughed and tried to pull away. 

"I'll warm your bed again soon, try not to step out while I'm gone. I'm sure you'd never find someone quite as proficient as I am."

I'll miss you. 

Q watched, slightly more awake, as James fixed his cuffs before striding out of the room to the front door. From his place in the door frame, Q could watch James gather just a few things before striding out without a backward glance.

Silence engulfed the apartment once again. This time, however, it wasn't comfortable; it was just silence.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all!  
> If anyone is interested, check out my tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thesunwillneverrisehere. I post alot of stories and commissions there as well.


End file.
